Glenrose Xaba and Caster Semenya during the Athletics Gauteng North Championship at the University Of Pretoria Stadium on March 27 2021. Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

Olympian gold medallist, Caster Semenya has been working with Boxer's Glenrose Xaba in anticipation of the 10km Joburg SPAR Grand Prix race on 3rd October. 

The starting line-up for the 10km Joburg SPAR Grand Prix at Marks Park on Sunday will be the biggest in the 2021 series. Two hundred and twenty one runners have confirmed their entries for the race - the fifth in the six race series.

Tadu Nare (Nedbank) has proved unbeatable so far, but Glenrose Xaba's new coach, Caster Semenya, has promised that Nare will come to fear the Boxer runner.

Xaba has been working with Semenya, who is training her for a podium finish in the Paris 2024 Olympics, “I am enjoying working with her because she is a person who is determined about everything she does,” said Xaba.

“She wants to help talented athletes like me to be successful like her. From a young age I always wanted to be like her. I am blessed to have someone of her profile, who has achieved so much, coaching me.”

Tadu Nare heads the SPAR Grand Prix ladder after four races, with Fortunate Chidzivo (Retail Capital) in second position. But Kesa Molotsane (Murray & Roberts) is breathing down Chidzivo's neck and a good finish for Molotsane could catapult her into second on the log.

While Xaba has come second in every race she has run - she missed the Cape Town race because of injury - three different runners have come third, including Tayla Kavanagh (Murray & Roberts), Cian Oldknow (Murray & Roberts) and Gerda Steyn (Nedbank), who came third in Durban and Tshwane. However, only Oldknow will be running on Sunday. 

Another runner who can never be ruled out is three times SPAR Grand Prix title holder, Irvette van Zyl. She ran her first race in Tshwane last week after recovering from an injury sustained at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in August. She finished fourth in Tshwane.

The race will be run over a two lap course in and around the leafy suburbs of Greenside and Emmarentia. There are some challenging hills and the runners will have little time or opportunity to admire the spring gardens.
Race Director Leon Swanepoel says the route is a balance of uphill and downhill running and should produce a fast time. 

The Joburg SPAR Grand Prix race starts at 07h00. Because of Covid restrictions, there will be no spectators, but fans can track runners on the SportSplitz app and live-stream the race on the SPAR Grand Prix Series (SPAR Grand Prix Series | Facebook) or the SPAR Women’s Challenge Joburg Facebook Page from 06h30.


2021 SPAR GRAND PRIX CALENDAR
Sunday, 22 August – Pietermaritzburg
Saturday, 4 September – Cape Town 
Saturday, 11 September – Durban 
Friday, 24 September – Tshwane
Sunday, 3 October – Joburg
Saturday, 9 October – Gqeberha